, Labour’s Deputy Leader, has
written to her opposite number Deputy Prime Minister demanding that he apologise
and withdraw comments that he made earlier today supporting
.
Raab said that Cox – who was working from the British Virgin
Islands advising the BVI government on how to handle an
investigation by the British government into corruption – was
doing work that is “quite important” and beneficial to
Parliament.
Rayner says that Raab’s comments “typify the arrogant and out of
touch approach of this corrupt Conservative government”. Rayner
accuses Raab of insulting voters by “suggesting that this
Conservative Member of Parliament was actually acting in the best
interests of voters here in Britain” when he was in fact drawing
a salary as a Member of Parliament whilst advising the government
of the British Virgin Islands against our own government on how
to defend against allegations of corruption.
Ends
Notes to editors
-
Full text of letter from to :
Dear Dominic,
I am writing to you regarding comments that you made to the
media this morning, in which you supported a Conservative
Member of Parliament working from a tax haven and advising
the government of the British Virgin Islands against our own
government in an investigation into corruption as “quite
important” and beneficial to “Parliament” that “we’ve got
some knowledge of what’s going on in those territories”.
The Conservative Member of Parliament in question was not
engaging in a fact-finding mission to gain more knowledge
about the British Virgin Islands so we can take action
against corruption, money laundering and tax avoidance in tax
havens. He was advising the government of the British Virgin
Islands, a tax haven accused of corruption, on their response
to an investigation by our own government looking into
evidence of corruption, abuse of office and serious
dishonesty. In other words, he was advising the government of
the British Virgin Islands against our own government on how
to defend against allegations of corruption.
Your comments typify the arrogant and out of touch approach
of this corrupt Conservative government – showing no
contrition at all for voting to support corruption and rip up
the independent standards system, and now insulting the
British people by suggesting that this Conservative Member of
Parliament was actually acting in the best interests of
voters here in Britain.
These comments are a slap in the face to people who are
rightly asking why there is one rule for the Conservative
Party and another rule for them. As Deputy Prime Minister you
have a responsibility to uphold standards of integrity in
public life. Comments like this damage Parliament, Members of
Parliament and our democracy and corrode trust.
I call on you to withdraw these remarks and apologise.
Yours sincerely,
